1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dispensers, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved dispenser for use with replaceable refill cartridges of soap, shampoo, tooth paste, etc. Presently, the previously described items are purchased by the consumer in individual containers. In order to use these products, the consumer must first locate the container, and then fumble with the container to access the contents. There is no precise method of regulating the amount of the contents to be dispensed. The necessity of maintaining a separate bottle or tube for each of the items unnecessarily clutters the home and particularly the bathroom of the consumer. Additionally, the bottles and tubes are relatively expensive to manufacture because they must be relatively durable to withstand repeated handling. In order to overcome these problems, the present invention provides a dispenser designed to dispense various liquids and pastes from disposable refill cartridges. It is contemplated that the dispenser will be mounted on a bathroom wall, or within a shower, and utilize drop in refill cartridges. These cartridges need not be expensive or durable as they will be received within the dispenser housing. The contents of the cartridge may be dispensed by a one handed operation of a knob on the dispenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of dispensers are known in the prior art. A typical example of such a dispenser is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 41,789, which issued to G. Stack on Sept. 19, 1911. This patent discloses a dispenser for soap powder having a generally cylindrical housing and a top plunger for dispensing soap powder through an opening in the bottom of the dispenser. A bracket is provided for mounting the dispenser on a wall. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 117,061, which issued to W. Finnell on Oct. 10, 1939, discloses a soap dispenser which is provided with a wall mounting bracket. A hinged cover is provided at the top of the dispenser for refilling the contents. A rotatable knob is provided to actuate the dispenser. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 177,457, which issued to H. Cortner on Apr. 17, 1956, discloses a generally trapezoidal shaped dispenser having a removable top cover for refilling the dispenser. A knob extending through a front face of the dispenser is utilized to dispense the desired quantity from the dispenser. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 245,891, which issued to B. Milbourne Jr. on Sept. 27, 1977, discloses an irregularly shaped dispenser having a plunger type actuator. U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,431, which issued to N. Lipton on Apr. 12, 1960, discloses a tooth paste dispenser. This dispenser utilizes a pair of meshing rollers for squeezing the contents from a conventional tube of tooth paste.
While the above mentioned devices are suited for their intended usage, none of these devices provides a dispenser suitable for use with disposable refill cartridges. Further, none of the aforesaid dispensers simultaneously actuate a dispensing plunger and open a dispensing door by one handed manipulation of a single control knob. An additional feature of the present invention not contemplated by the aforesaid devices is the use of a rack and pinion actuated dispensing plunger to dispense the contents of a disposable refill cartridge. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of dispensers, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such dispensers, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.